Easing prescribing workload:Making the most of Electronic Repeat Dispensing

We know that whilst you are busy doing great work in general practice, it can be really challenging to keep up with new guidance and ways of working. As part of resilience efforts around COVID-19, NHS England have encouraged practices to optimise the benefits of Electronic Prescription Services (EPS) in two key ways:

• Switching patients still receiving paper prescriptions to EPS.

• Utilising electronic repeat dispensing (eRD) for suitable patients.

We will be providing a four part series as follows:

• 25 June 2020 – The benefits of eRD based on experience from GP and CCG colleague
• 2 July 2020 – Using eRD to drive effective care planning
• 9 July 2020 – eRD, System collaboration and eRD Care homes
• 16 July 2020 – The benefits of eRD based on experience from GP and CCG colleague (repeated session)
• 23 July 2020 – eRD and community pharmacy.

Primary Care Response to COVID-19, issued by NHS England states:

“General practices have been asked to consider putting all suitable patients on electronic repeat dispensing as their next repeat prescriptions are issued. The whole repeatable prescription can be valid for a year, but each repeat should be for no longer than the patient has now. For example, if the patient has prescriptions for a month’s supply now, then the repeat dispensing should be set up as 13 x 28 days’ supply.”

eRD allows the prescriber to authorise and issue a batch of repeatable prescriptions for up to 12 months with just one digital signature. A quick guide for prescribers explaining the system can be found here.

Increasing eRD will have the following benefits:

• Reducing footfall to the GP practice and to the community pharmacy, supporting social distancing in the current operating environment.
• Reducing workload for prescribers allowing better prioritisation of resources
• Controlled management of the supply chain reducing the number of temporarily unavailable medicines.

eRD has been around for a number of years and there is variation in uptake and utilisation across the country. We hope sharing learning from those who have been involved in this process could be of value to you in either implementing for the first time or optimising your current service.

We would like to help make it easier for you. As an NHS organisation who works across the health and social care sector, we can offer you:

• Free, bite-sized learning series delivered by webinar with opportunities to ask questions and share with your peers.
• Highlight the benefits of eRD to build will amongst audience based on real world examples, utilising local best practice whilst highlighting the Wessex toolkits/videos.
• Using eRD to drive effective care planning, utilising local best practice
• Implementing eRD for use in care homes and system collaboration.
• Guidance to resources to help you implement eRD within your area of work.
• Wrap around support to answer your questions and concerns
• Toolkit highlighting how to bring local teams together locally to talk about the change and to address existing issues using quality improvement cycles (Plan – Do – Study – Act).

Who is this for?

General Practice: Doctors, Nurse Prescribers, Specialist prescribers, Practice managers, Practice Pharmacists, Prescription Clerk, PCN Pharmacists

Each session is:

• Interactive with live streamed learning and an Q&A opportunities

• Up-to-date with emerging guidance and good practice

• Maximum 1 hour in duration, over a lunchtime period

How do I join the online training?

To access the online training simply click on the MS Teams link within the Outlook invitation that will be sent to you before the training starts.

Disclaimer:

The sessions will be recorded to allow the sessions to be used as a resource to support eRD uptake across the South West Region. Please contact us ps@weahsn.net if you would like to discuss this, and we’ll attempt to accommodate your privacy on an individual basis.